ISDN

[Jarro]

..any thoughts :?:

i've been told we won't be getting ADSL here for quite some time and that ISDN would be a much better alternative to our dialup (shudup Pete) :evil:

any of you Ozgolfers had any experiences with this :?:

[Fishman Dan]

Jarro - not sure of what costs you've been quoted, but they aren't really compatible. There are far fewer telco's who offer ISDN services.

I think Blakey used to have an ISDN service at his old place?

[Jarro]

Jarro - not sure of what costs you've been quoted, but they aren't really compatible. There are far fewer telco's who offer ISDN services.

I think Blakey used to have an ISDN service at his old place?

thanks Fishy :wink:

Blakey .... any thoughts :?:

[markTHEblake]

Jarro, you are asking in the right place. I have been using ISDN for over 2 years now, and there wouldnt be much I dont know about it.

In short, pay Telstra $89 a month, and that includes phone rental, two phone lines, Internet costs (unlimited everything) and phone call costs to connect to the internet.

Another way to describe it, is that if you have two phone lines in the house ( or were thinking about it ) you would have to be an idiot not to go with ISDN, as overall its cheaper than two ordinary phone lines.

[Grunt]

Mark

What are the access speeds like? I have been told it is only marginaly better than dial up. I also are one of those in an area where we have missed out on technology even thought the area is only 7 years old. No ADSL, No Cable, No Unwired, No adequate mobile coverage & a pair gain telephone system from the 1940's

[3oneday]

telephone system from the 1940'sthat's too modern for QLD Grant :idea: :idea:

:lol: :lol:

[Fishman Dan]

Mark

What are the access speeds like? I have been told it is only marginaly better than dial up. I also are one of those in an area where we have missed out on technology even thought the area is only 7 years old. No ADSL, No Cable, No Unwired, No adequate mobile coverage & a pair gain telephone system from the 1940's

Grant, you get either 64k - marginally better than dialup - but more reliable because it's a DIGITAL service, i.e. you will be 6.4 kps (56k modems are lucky to operate at 5kps), or you can get 128k ISDN (2 channels).

[markTHEblake]

Mark

What are the access speeds like? ......... No adequate mobile coverage & a pair gain telephone system from the 1940's

99% of the country can get ISDN, and pair gain is not a problem. In fact in pair gain areas telstra suggests ISDN instead when they ask for a new line.

The download and upload speeds are either 7.5kb or 15kb depending on whether you use one or both channels ( you would have to be an idiot not to use both). And those speeds are guaranteed - from your home to the ISP.

Its much more complicated than just to say 64k is only a bit faster than 56k. True 56k is going to be about 5kbps download. well 64k is obviously 50% faster.

howver on dialup you are getting on average 4kb, and about 3.3kb maximum if you have been pair gained.

So typically ISDN is 4 times faster than dialup - who is the clown who told you it was only marginally better. Suggest you dont ask him for any more advice.

[Fishman Dan]

...who is the clown who told you it was only marginally better. Suggest you dont ask him for any more advice.

Geez, you're on fire today Blake. Looks like i've been stepping on some toes. Grant - any more question of a technical nature should obviously be PM'd straight to Mark so you don't get any distraction from less than reliable sources. :roll:

[markTHEblake]

Relax Fish, i was replying to Grunts post not yours. In fact i didnt read yours until afterwards becuase I opened the thread long before you posted your comment.

Now that i have had to read it to work out what the hell you are talking about, your right. except that 64k is 7.5kbps download not 6.4

technically it should be 8kbps but i forgot how to describe what the overhead is.

[Fishman Dan]

An honest mistake.

My experience with ISDN is using OnRamp services for business use, not home use. We have a (single channel) 64k line to our logistics warehouse for order processing, and 2 x 128k lines dedicated for Video Conferencing. All data use, not voice.

No home use experience, though interesting to note your comment re: cheaper for the home user. One of those home truths less than 1% of consumers would know about.

And as per the last post - digital service means guarranteed stability.

[Jarro]

Blakey,

.. what happens if i'm online and someone tries to phone us :?: Does the internet connection slow down from 128Kbs to 64Kbs or what :?

I'm thinking i'll go with this because i'm bloody sick of the continual dropouts on the dialup .... works out cheaper if i go with the ISDN 8)

[markTHEblake]

.. what happens if i'm online and someone tries to phone us :?: Does the internet connection slow down from 128Kbs to 64Kbs or what :?

Yep.

Same thing happens if you want to make an outbound call, it just drops a channel automatically.

It doesnt matter which phone service (ie two phone lines) the call is being made on. While your online you will always be able to use one of the phone services, but not both.

This is the best part, for me. Cos i can be online all day and still make and receive calls on one number, and receive and send faxes on the other.

do it Jarro. Trade in that old PSTN line, thats like using Hickory shafts mate.

[Jarro]

cool 8)

sounds like that's what i'll go for then ..... the missus likes to chinwag a bit :roll: so i had to make sure i could still dribble shit with you jokers while she gasbags :lol:

[Iain]

cool 8)

sounds like that's what i'll go for then ..... the missus likes to chinwag a bit :roll: so i had to make sure i could still dribble s#$% with you jokers while she gasbags :lol:

Runs in the family then???

[Jarro]

hey Gel-Boy, she also wanted me to ask you when are you going to be finished with her hairdryer :smt061

[Iain]

hey Gel-Boy, she also wanted me to ask you when are you going to be finished with her hairdryer :smt061

I'll bring it when I come over, once you've gone to work...... :smt047

[Jarro]

hey Gel-Boy, she also wanted me to ask you when are you going to be finished with her hairdryer :smt061

I'll bring it when I come over, once you've gone to work...... :smt047

Ok.

and do the dishes while your here too :roll:

[Jarro]

do it Jarro. Trade in that old PSTN line, thats like using Hickory shafts mate.

DONE :D

getting hooked up next wednesday ..... can't wait 8)

[3oneday]

do it Jarro.  Trade in that old PSTN line,  thats like using Hickory shafts mate.

DONE  :D

getting hooked up next wednesday ..... can't wait  8)Soo, that brings you up to this week ?? or just this month ??? :P :P :P

[Jarro]

do it Jarro.  Trade in that old PSTN line,  thats like using Hickory shafts mate.

DONE  :D

getting hooked up next wednesday ..... can't wait  8)Soo, that brings you up to this week ?? or just this month ??? :P  :P  :P

shudup you :x :P

hey this is a milestone event for me, finally pissing off the bloody godawful dialup connection :D

not ADSL or CABLE by a long shot, but heaps better than what i'm used to 8)

[Ona]

hmmm we might give this a go as well

:-k

[Jarro]

hmmm we might give this a go as well

:-k

i'll give you the good oil after i've had it on a couple of days :wink:

[Fishman Dan]

hmmm we might give this a go as well

:-k

i'll give you the good oil after i've had it on a couple of days  :wink:

So have you installed MSN 7 yet or what?!

[Ona]

I'll be waiting

[Jarro]

I'll be waiting

no probs :wink:

i'll be keen to see just how much better it is than dialup :!:

Fishy wrote :

So have you installed MSN 7 yet or what?!

not yet mate, i might wait 'till i get hooked up with ISDN :wink:

[Ona]

bah.. tis no cheaper for us. $1.90 more per month even tho we are currently paying for two phone lines, then there is the $190 conversion fee. Not many bickies to most but there you have it.

Ona will be sticking to dialup for some time yet methinks :(

[markTHEblake]

bah.. tis no cheaper for us.

wanna bet ? :-)

you forgot to allow for the $0.20 every time you dial the internet. for medium to heavy users thats going to cost around $10 pm

[Ona]

sadly no. $88/month as is, including $10 in connection calls.

[Ona]

oh I forgot. You can that smug look off your face now MTB :twisted: :wink:

[markTHEblake]

I guess you also forgot you only pay about $74 for the first 6 mths?

[Ona]

bah ive been had! someone has obviously hacked my pc and fiendishly hidden strategically selected details of the telstra site from my eyes... :roll:

[Jarro]

Ona,

.. get onto the Telstra BigPond Home site, and talk to an online consultant.

The person i spoke to was able to access my previous phone bill. From that they told me i'd be miles better off going with the ISDN instead of dialup 8)

[Jarro]

Blakey,

.. the Telstra dude will be coming tomorrow around 2pm to hook up my connection.

anything in particular i should know ? or ask for ??

[markTHEblake]

You need to tell them where you want the ISDN thingy ( a little white box with flashy red lights) installed, it has to go next to the computer, close enough to use the USB cable. Move the furniture away so he has got some space.

If that existing phone point is not your First point (the one connected to the outside world), he will need to do some fancy redirecting of wires but they all seem to be up to that. You will end up with a fancy looking mini switchboard, that looks impressive.

Just make sure your home, to tell them where it goes. Most of them seem to be totally customer focussed these days and will look for your computer room anyway. But soome lazy ones mighht just hook it up in the kitchen and nick off before you know it.

He wont install the modem drivers on the computer for you. Just follow the book, any nob can do it. Except you will want to deviate from the standard instalation. There is about 4 different drivers to choose from, the one you want is called "128k DVO" which means Data Voice Overide. Thats the one that will drop your connection to 64k when a incoming or outgoing phonecall is needed.

last thing, the phone techs love to talk about the techie stuff, but most of them are still in the dark ages when it comes to product, accounts and pricing, when ISDN used to cost heaps more. They all try to warn you about the high costs of each data call, phone calls etc, which is not true anymore.

If you cant work it out, plug your normal modem into the normal telephone port of the ISDN thingy and get online the old fashioned way, and i can help you out, after i have finished laughing at whatever dumb thing you have done.

[Jarro]

gee thanks Blakey :roll:

[markTHEblake]

So how did it go, happily downloading new movies yet?

[Jarro]

So how did it go,  happily downloading new movies yet?

Telstra cancelled the installation around midday :(

the guy said he'd be here tomorrow for sure 8)

[Ducky]

Jarro,

One thing to look into getting if you plan on using it quite frequently (although Telstra will do their best to deny you of it) is $16.50 monthly call capping. Basically, on each ISDN enabled line for a data call you are charged 30c per hour.

For example:

0.30 (data call) x 2 (ISDN lines) x 3 (hours) x 7 (days) = $12.60

This would be the resulting cost if you were to use the connection for a total of three hours per day for a whole week (not the month). As you can see, it will ultimately add up and the initial $16.50 may end up saving you a significant amount.

Kind regards,

Ben (Ducky).

Edit: If the above has already been mentioned, then feel free to disregard it. I didn't have time to read the whole thread, sorry.

[Jarro]

thanks Ducky, i'll look into that :wink:

[Jarro]

Blakey .... jump in the chatroom now please !!!!!!!!!

[markTHEblake]

Jarro needs me...... :oops:
how sweet.

[Jarro]

Jarro needs me......  :oops:
how sweet.

well, as it turns out i didn't really need you at all Blakey .... but thanks for the thoughts :wink:

just waiting on BigPond to do their usual identity checks and then i'll be ISDN'ing away 8)

[markTHEblake]

well, as  it turns out i didn't really need you at all Blakey

yeah, but wasnt it great to see you beg.

[Jarro]

all done 8)

for the record, we are on a deal where we don't pay for any data calls \:D/ :smt003

see ya later dialup :smt006

[Fishman Dan]

Good stuff, now all you need is to make your PC a little more secure if it's going to be on the internet so much ;)

[Jarro]

i've got Zonealarm Pro running at the moment Fishy, anything else you'd recommend ???

[drunken]

Microsoft Antispyware seems to be the pick of the adware detcetion/removal software at the moment.

[Fishman Dan]

We use Zone Alarms here at work, and i'd get another just in case you have any problems in the future - AdAware SE (new version 1.06). It's good to have 2 in case you suspect the first one misses something.

MicroSoft Antispyware is good, but it missed a crucial peiece of 'malware' recently here at work and therefore it's been benched.

[Jarro]

thanks guys ... i'll get onto it right away 8)

[markTHEblake]

Jarro, all you need is a firewall (the one supplied with windows is enough), and set up WIndows to automatically download all the updates.

Dont worry about all the spyware crapola, just dont click on popups that have been generated unscrupulously - like the ones that say Click here to get rid of spyware). Sure do a spyware scan every few months or so, but if your not a complete dummy it wont find anything.

Fair dinkum, if you installed everything on your computer that everybody says you need, your computer would be so slow it wouldnt run. Unless you have sensitive info on your computer (like customer data, priceless work) then why bother. You dont protect your house like a Fort Knox do you.

[Ducky]

Out of curiousity, what are your computer specifications, Jarro?

I'm not trying to imply you're computer illiterate with this comment, but I would not recommend installing any application on your PC that you are unfamiliar with (or cannot commit the time to becoming familiar with).

The large majority of calls I receive at work are from customers who have installed an application (or have had an application installed for them) on their PC that they do not have the faintest idea about configuring. This especially becomes a problem (for the customer) when the application happens to be a firewall and is preventing applications that require internet access from functioning correctly.

The most common applications that our customers run into problems with are AVG, PC-Cillin, Sygate, and Zone Alarm. The majority of the problems are due to the e-mail scanning function on the anti-virus constantly resetting mail server settings to LAN addresses, and the firewall blocking all applications that require internet access.

Anyway, getting back on track. If you do not want to have to manually configure application access rights (this may not be a problem if you do not install many applications), then you should check out the security package (anti-virus and firewall) that is offered by Norton or McAfee. They are not free, but tend to be the easiest to configure. VET is also a good anti-virus if you have an older PC (as the latest versions of Norton and McAfee require more resources), but the latest update has caused a few problems (once again, with e-mail scanning).

Anti-virus applications:

1. Norton
2. McAfee
3. VET (if you have an older PC)

Firewall applications:

1. Norton
2. McAfee

Adware/Spyware applications:

1. Spybot Search and Destroy
2. Ad-Aware
3. Windows Anti-Spyware

It is recommended to use Spybot Search and Destroy (as it detects data source exploits that the other two applications do not), and supplement it with either Ad-Aware or Windows Anti-Spyware. It's worth noting that Windows Anti-Spyware does not have third party browser support (such as for Mozilla or Opera).

Adware/Spyware is becoming very common, and although it's not as destructive as an exploit or virus, it should still be taken seriously.

Kind regards,

Ben (Ducky).

P.S: Sorry for the long post.

[Jarro]

thanks a lot for the info Ducky 8)

[Ona]

so whats the news jarro? Salma Hayek =P~ or Kirstie Alley :smt078

[Jarro]

so whats the news jarro?  Salma Hayek =P~  or Kirstie Alley :smt078

Salma Hayek for sure mate 8) :wink:

it's heaps better than dialup, around 4 times quicker .... and we don't miss any more calls :D

[Trung]

it's heaps better than dialup, around 4 times quicker .... and we don't miss any more calls  :D

Wow, that is so much faster. :roll:

You should wait till you have cable connection or fast ADSL :twisted:

[CobraSS]

been enjoying ADSL for the past week and half out here at Woodford now :lol: :D

[Grunt]

Hi

Am in the process of seeing if I can now get ADSL. Telstra say that our rim has been upgraded so I can get it. :lol:

We will see in the next week.

[Jarro]

good luck Grunt :wink:

[Fishman Dan]

Hi

Am in the process of seeing if I can now get ADSL. Telstra say that our rim has been upgraded so I can get it. :lol:

We will see in the next week.

So i guess Telstra gave your local Exchange a rim-job? :shock: :roll:

Grant - shop around. Don't be suckered into signing up with Telstra if you can get a better deal elsewhere. Strongly consider InterNode, TPG Internet and some others who offer;

* Short contract (if any) - 6 months is good
* High download limit (if any cap at all)
* You shouldn't need to spend over $50 per month

I'm with Pacific Internet at the moment, very good but there has been the odd dropout recently.

Good luck ;)

[drunken]

Again I can't praise Internode highly enough. Never had a single issue with the service in two years.

Twice there has been Telstra exchange issues, but you can't avoid those with any ISP.

http://adsl.internode.on.net/pricing/home.htm

I'm on HOME-512-Value. 512k $49.95 a month, 15GB download limit, after which the speed drops back to 64k.

[Ducky]

I cannot recommend Westnet (http://www.westnet.com.au) highly enough, as their customer service is a cut above the rest. Swiftel (http://www.peopletelecom.com.au/) (now owned by People Telecom) have really good speeds (if that's important to you), but their billing department has been terrible ever since they were taken over by People Telecom. My boss is a reseller for Exetel (http://www.exetel.com.au/), Swiftel (http://www.peopletelecom.com.au/), and Westnet (http://www.westnet.com.au), and you would not believe how many dramas he has had with Swiftel over simple billing issues.

[Ona]

muchas gracias jarro